Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Should the HPV vaccine be mandatory?

Evidently, Merck, the manufacturer of the vaccine thinks so. They have invested heavily in lobbying the state legislatures to make vaccinations against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, mandatory for 12 year old girls. How much does Merck stand to gain?
Drug-industry analyst Steve Brozak of W.B.B. Securities has projected Gardasil sales of at least $1 billion per year — and billions more if states start requiring the vaccine. "I could not think of a bigger boost," he said.

No comments: